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Nashville is definitely not as white as Portland within the city limits (it's more diverse in my opinion). It's just as soon as you hit the county line, it can become very vanilla really fast (aka some people joke a "White Metro Atlanta").
This outer metro homogeneity is gradually shifting, especially in Rutherford County which is the Nashville area's second largest. The population is only 64% non-Hispanic White with fast minority growth since 2010.
Portland has a moderate (and growing) Asian and Hispanic population by national standards, which is spread across the area and has higher concentrations in certain suburbs than the city proper. It does lack a significant Black population compared to most large metro areas.
1) I was blown away by the lack of Hispanic growth in Los Angeles. I do imagine a good portion of this has to do with foreign born Mexicans returning back. Mexico's economy has grown and its much safer than it used to be.
2) We knew NYC was severely underestimated from the 2020 total counts but we didnt know how. We can see know that its Asian and especially its Hispanic population growth were underestimated. Its black and white populations still experienced significant declines.
3) Chicago's Hispanic population was being underestimated, but its Asian growth as well as its white and black losses were being properly estimated.
4) DC's Hispanic growth really surprised me. I knew it was growing, but not like that.
5) I've been seeing threads pop up about the "California Exodus" lately. Some arguing that it is all hype and others that its all too real. As usual the truth is in between when considering the major metro areas. African Americans and Non-Hispanic white residents are leaving. Meanwhile the Hispanic population is growing and the Asian population is exploding.
6) Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Columbus were the only metro areas where black residents were the fastest growing. If I had to hypothesize, Minneapolis/St. Paul is being driven African immigration.
7) Austin, Nashville, Denver, Indianapolis, and Raleigh were the metro areas where non-Hispanic white residents grew the fastest. This is somewhat telling to me simply because it shows which major cities white Americans find the most appealing.
8) DFW's explosive Asian growth will, IMO, be traced back to massive Indian immigration.
9) Looking at growth of all groups, DFW appears to have the most balanced growth patterns.
10) I always felt the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area was very one sided but I think these numbers really drive that home.
11) The estimates from 2019 were, for the most part, pretty accurate. The glaring exception was NYC and the Hispanic growth in Chicago and DC.
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I think it's not too disingenuous to say that Chicago even as the country's 3rd largest metro, has already fell behind DC, Houston, SF/SJ, Dallas and heck even Las Vegas in racial diversity, and will probably stay that way going forward. Miami's also arguably more diverse, and down the line Seattle looks like it make be able to make a case for being more diverse than Chicago too.
I think it's not too disingenuous to say that Chicago even as the country's 3rd largest metro, has already fell behind DC, Houston, SF/SJ, Dallas and heck even Las Vegas in racial diversity, and will probably stay that way going forward. Miami's also arguably more diverse, and down the line Seattle looks like it make be able to make a case for being more diverse than Chicago too.
In terms of racial diversity, Miami and San Jose are oddballs. They have a decent mix of 3 of the 4 major groups, but a complete lack of the 4th. I honestly wouldnt put them above Chicago in terms of racial diversity. DC, Houston, SF, Vegas, and DFW yes I would say are more racially diverse than Chicagoland.
That said, when the ethnic stats come out we will have a better idea of a true picture of diversity. We do have to remember that Chicago does have the 2nd largest foreign born white population after NYC so that does contribute to diversity.
Because my biggest reason for joining this website was originally to complain about a lack of recognition of Boston's diversity, I feel compelled to mention that despite being most non-Hispanic white metro in the top 10, the following statements are true on a % basis and on the metro-level per the OP's data:
Boston is...
I mean... Boston and its core areas are diverse-especially ethnically. The mundane and outer ring really suburbs arent. And that's most of the metro. That's what drives up the white numbers. And having so much of exurban/rural NH in the MSA (without New Hampshire it goes down to 64.3% white).
Much of the metro does not feel diverse. However, the way that New England society works, it's hard to feel 'metro' demography when everything is so centralized in your town or city. Things are not as consistent racially or economically as you will find in newer metros to the south or west. It's like the older midwestern metros and Providence in that the urban cities are diverse but 85% of the suburbs are not.
I mean look at Hartford. A 12% white core city... and 64% white metro... that's how New England and the Midwest is, except Chicago.
Isolating groups and cherry-picking cities to compare it to isn't fair to places that have genuine diversity in suburban and rural areas. Go to the rural/exurban part of metro Denver-lotta Hispanics. Go to the rural part of metro Boston-white as the driven snow.
Using the Boston metro as a measure for its diversity is a losing proposition. Focus on the cities in the area, and some of the inner ring older suburbs, that's where the diversity lies.
But also these MSA sort of don't fit in New England very well where while these places are in the Boston media and cultural sphere- unlike some (not all) other places I've been the towns around Lowell has a Lowell Sun newspaper and Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Agency,.....the towns around Brockton have a Brockton Area Transit and the Brockton Enterprise Newspaper and so on and so forth.... some of these were separate metros from Boston until 1990.
The MSA's are just too big given how small our cities are. Providence MSA is literally the entire state + another county in MA (a number of the towns in the Providence metros are much closer to Boston than Providence). As a result the Providence MSA is less diverse than the state of Rhode Island..lol And we all know that makes NO sense on the ground.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 09-17-2021 at 09:03 AM..
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by As Above So Below...
In terms of racial diversity, Miami and San Jose are oddballs. They have a decent mix of 3 of the 4 major groups, but a complete lack of the 4th. I honestly wouldnt put them above Chicago in terms of racial diversity. DC, Houston, SF, Vegas, and DFW yes I would say are more racially diverse than Chicagoland.
That said, when the ethnic stats come out we will have a better idea of a true picture of diversity. We do have to remember that Chicago does have the 2nd largest foreign born white population after NYC so that does contribute to diversity.
It could go either way IMO. Chicago still has a certain level of big city diversity that it sustains, but Miami's Hispanic diversity by nation is #1 in the country though. I think it gets a lot of points for that. What makes up Chicago's Hispanic background? Primarily Mexican from what I know. It may still be close for now, if Miami's Asian population ever jumps up, it will make the next tier up in racial diversity.
Taking a deeper look at things Chicago still is doing fine...Both the Black and non-Hispanic White populations may have decreased, but Asian growth, Hispanic growth , and multi-racial growth was only a few slots behind DC and some of the others. This is actually increased racial diversity overall for Chicago which is good. So essentially the metro area has gotten more diverse on paper than it was in 2010, but places like DC, Houston, DFW, Las Vegas just "out-diversified" it.
Last edited by the resident09; 09-17-2021 at 09:46 AM..
It could go either way IMO. Chicago still has a certain level of big city diversity that it sustains, but Miami's Hispanic diversity by nation is #1 in the country though. I think it gets a lot of points for that. What makes up Chicago's Hispanic background? Primarily Mexican from what I know. It may still be close for now, if Miami's Asian population ever jumps up, it will make the next tier up in racial diversity.
I dont see what would make Miami's Asian growth jump though. Its Asian growth is so paltry given its size. Miami just keeps becoming more and Hispanic and Caribbean with no other groups moving there in any sizable number. The more and more dominated Miami becomes by those groups and those groups only, the less appeal it will have for Asians.
Its a similar argument for San Jose. Why would African Americans or foreign born Africans find it appealing? Its becoming more and more Indian/Chinese/Vietnamese dominant as time goes on. At least with the Bay Area, there are places that African American can find appealing up the road. I dont see any areas of South Florida that would be appealing to Asians when choosing a place to immigrate.
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